Teminator vs Terminator 2 - Alien vs Aliens

[BisexualMMA]

also if you only watched it in the 80s and 90s on tv,as i did,you get an edited version. The full version of the movie is so much better.

What scenes did they leave out? Working at the meat plant?

 

[HHJ]

What scenes did they leave out? Working at the meat plant?

it was mostly the stuff at the begginign,the fight with spider rico i dont even think was even in it.

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

I love all. They're hard to compare directly to one another though. Like T1 and T2 are both 10/10 in my book, but for different reasons. As far as all four of these films go though, I can't watch one without watching the other. Meaning, if I watch Alien, I have to watch Aliens (maybe not same day, but within a few days) and same goes for The Terminator and T2. Or if I'm specifically in the mood for Aliens, I can't watch it without watching Alien first. Same with Terminator. If I suddenly desire to watch T2, I have to watch The Terminator first. Both sets from each franchise are intrinsically linked and go hand in hand with one another.

Also, everything in the Alien universe post-Aliens doesn't exist as far as I am concerned (though Alien: Isolation gets a pass because it was amazing). Same with Terminator. Everything after James Cameron's direct involvement is dead to me.

Agree with everything you said here. I love all four movies, they're all in my top 20. I also like watching the movies together whenever I can. And i ignore the rest of the movies in their series, though I find Alien 3 passable, unlike Resurrection or T3.

 

[HHJ]

T2 still has massive amounts of heart, suspense, atmosphere, and a great sense of impending doom. The effects are great and the CGI is shockingly still better than some of the stuff I've seen in films today.

the only part that sucks is when arnold does that roll off the truck,that shit ventures into alien 3 level shittyness,but thats the only time

 

[HHJ]

Agree with everything you said here. I love all four movies, they're all in my top 20. I also like watching the movies together whenever I can. And i ignore the rest of the movies in their series, though I find Alien 3 passable, unlike Resurrection or T3.

Right,it might not be your typical Alien movie,but its a frightening ride through Hell nontheless,with good actors and good acting.

 

[Adamant]

Cameron did actually come up with the idea and design for the queen..
and how do you do a scene like this in the mid 80s?? by actually having ripley in a power loader fighting a puppeted/animatronic full size queen alien!!!!

I wish they still did effects like this today. If only they used CGI to touch up the practical effects, overall, it'd look so much better than even the best pure CGI effects. Even to this day, model work and practical effects in older movies still gets me pumped and excited. The hordes of CGI in modern movies is so damn numbing, most of the time I feel nothing during big "action sequences."

I shit you not, I was literally falling asleep during the "climax" of Transformers 3 the first time I saw it. But an old movie like Aliens or The Terminator still gets me on the edge of my seat. Every damn time.

 

[HHJ]

BTW if you love Terminator I's soundtrack you will love this music

 

[HHJ]

I wish they still did effects like this today. If only they used CGI to touch up the practical effects, overall, it'd look so much better than even the best pure CGI effects. Even to this day, model work and practical effects in older movies still gets me pumped and excited. The hordes of CGI in modern movies is so damn numbing, most of the time I feel nothing during big "action sequences."

I shit you not, I was literally falling asleep during the "climax" of Transformers 3 the first time I saw it. But an old movie like Aliens or The Terminator still gets me on the edge of my seat. Every damn time.

The problem is also practicality. It takes longer,and more expensive,and riskier to do stuff in this way.

I was happy that the predator movies that have been put out they still have a guy in a suit..which is probably very difficult and time consuming to do.

 

[Organic Damage]

Terminator is a better movie, but terminator 2 is better to watch for the effects and shit. If that even makes sense.

Makes perfect sense.

The thing that distinguishes T1/T2 versus Alien/Aliens is that the nature of the antagonist changes completely in Aliens. One smart silent predator stalking you became a bunch of dumb cannon fodder -- makes for very different movies. Where as the T800 and T1000 are both implacable unstoppable assassins, even through the genre switch from horror to action.

It almost feels like Terminator stayed truer to itself than Alien from the first movie to the sequel.

 

[HHJ]

Makes perfect sense.

The thing that distinguishes T1/T2 versus Alien/Aliens is that the nature of the antagonist changes completely in Aliens. One smart silent predator stalking you became a bunch of dumb cannon fodder -- makes for very different movies. Where as the T800 and T1000 are both implacable unstoppable assassins, even through the genre switch from horror to action.

It almost feels like Terminator stayed truer to itself than Alien from the first movie to the sequel.

An interesting point of view...and probably reflects on the fact that Cameron did both terminator movies.

 

[BVG]

The order here for me is Terminator 2, Aliens, Alien Terminator 1.

The effects in T2 and Aliens and even Alien hold up today. Terminator 1's stop motion ages it drastically. Never mind it was released as a B grade 80's horror movie that happened to get enough of a cult following to score a sequel that Cameron knocked out of the park.

Don't get me wrong, I like Terminator. But I think this thread is suffering from rose tinted glasses.

 

[HHJ]

The order here for me is Terminator 2, Aliens, Alien Terminator 1.

The effects in T2 and Aliens and even Alien hold up today. Terminator 1's stop motion ages it drastically. Never mind it was released as a B grade 80's horror movie that happened to get enough of a cult following to score a sequel that Cameron knocked out of the park.

Don't get me wrong, I like Terminator. But I think this thread is suffering from rose tinted glasses.

no way. Even the part when arnold cuts his eye out is awe inspiring to me,because they had to figure out how to do it without cgi.obviously it looks all fucked up today but the ingenuity behind that is awesome. It didnt ruin it for me when i watched in '84...especially considering he was a robot anyway,the scene worked,and it still works.

 

[leto1776]

Makes perfect sense.

The thing that distinguishes T1/T2 versus Alien/Aliens is that the nature of the antagonist changes completely in Aliens. One smart silent predator stalking you became a bunch of dumb cannon fodder -- makes for very different movies. Where as the T800 and T1000 are both implacable unstoppable assassins, even through the genre switch from horror to action.

It almost feels like Terminator stayed truer to itself than Alien from the first movie to the sequel.

Alien went from being a sci-fi thriller, to Aliens being just a sci-fi action film.

 

[Adamant]

The problem is also practicality. It takes longer,and more expensive,and riskier to do stuff in this way.

I hear this a lot, but really, if they could make it work so good in the 80's, why can't they now? Effects, as done in the 80s, but merely touched up with modern CGI, would be the absolute best of both worlds. I know for sure it takes a lot more work to do things practically, instead of all in a computer, but again, if they made it work in the 80s, why not now? Especially considering how much smaller budgets were back then and the bang they got for their buck. Even taking inflation into account, it's still mind boggling. Where's that type of work ethic and innovation now?

 

[HHJ]

I hear this a lot, but really, if they could make it work so good in the 80's, why can't they now? Effects, as done in the 80s, but merely touched up with modern CGI, would be the absolute best of both worlds. I know for sure it takes a lot more work to do things practically, instead of all in a computer, but again, if they made it work in the 80s, why not now? Especially considering how much smaller budgets were back then and the bang they got for their buck. Even taking inflation into account, it's still mind boggling. Where's that type of work ethic and innovation now?

I agree more things could be done now and TOO MUCH uses cgi to rely on,but i think its also a consequence that some things that were impossible,or just not done to time and expense is possible now,so movies are in this exploration age of pushing the limits...

 

[BVG]

no way. Even the part when arnold cuts his eye out is awe inspiring to me,because they had to figure out how to do it without cgi.obviously it looks all fucked up today but the ingenuity behind that is awesome. It didnt ruin it for me when i watched in '84...especially considering he was a robot anyway,the scene worked.

wai.

Nothing there sticks out to me from other B grade horror movies from the 80's.

Scanners, Friday the 13th, Nightmare... Poltergeist....all had similar effects back then making that scene blend in.



Terminator 2 (at least for myself) was the first time that the antagonist from the first movie becomes the protagonist in the second movie. That's a much bigger deal than some B grade horror effect.

 

[HHJ]

wai.

Nothing there sticks out to me from other B grade horror movies from the 80's.

Scanners, Friday the 13th, Nightmare... Poltergeist....all had similar effects back then making that scene blend in.

Terminator 2 (at least for myself) was the first time that the antagonist from the first movie becomes the protagonist in the second movie. That's a much bigger deal than some B grade horror effect.

I love those movies too. "B grade" horror is very underrated! One of the most creative genres out there!!!

 

[HHJ]

Consider: what movie in 1984 would even attempt a man cutting out an eye revealing a fully functioning cybernetic eye underneath. To me its a triumph,and ballsy move.

 

[BVG]

I love those movies too. "B grade" horror is very underrated! One of the most creative genres out there!!!

The Thing, Nightmare 1, Alien are examples of an A grade horror film from the 80's...

 

[HHJ]

The Thing, Nightmare 1, Alien are examples of an A grade horror film from the 80's...

That is fine,but i dont have a problem with the lesser movies. For example i think Hellraiser is fantastic. The part where "Frank" has to reform is excellent!